


Count to One

by bluefading



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Masturbation, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-25
Updated: 2015-08-25
Packaged: 2018-04-17 05:06:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4653477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluefading/pseuds/bluefading
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone has secrets and battles they need to fight.</p><p>Collection of short, connected drabbles that began on my SouRin tumblr. The story begins around E6 of S2, when Sousuke opts out of prelims. Yes, it's filled with angst.</p><p>[Part 1: Two - Secrets (NSFW)]<br/>[Part 2: Three - Those Fatal Inches]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Two - Secrets

There were two secrets Yamazaki Sousuke vowed to never tell Rin.

Sousuke retreated to his dorm room, locking the door behind him. Even though he knew his roommate wouldn’t be back tonight, the protective action became a habit whenever he planned to expose his brace. With a sigh, Sousuke sat down at his desk and peeled the shoulder brace that had been discreetly hidden under a layer of shirt and jacket off. The skin underneath was an unhealthy shade of pink. He mused at its resemblance to undercooked meat, which kindled the thought of him slowly becoming shark bait. That wouldn’t be so bad. 

Mundanely, Sousuke searched for the muscle cream inside the desk drawer and massaged a careful mass on the damaged shoulder. He winced at the tender pain.

**The first secret would make Rin cry.**

As stubborn as the teenage boy was, Sousuke learned to know his limit. Perhaps he should convince Rin to swim the individual butterfly for him during preliminaries next week.

Nursing his injury had become so much of a chore that the pity and punishment he had once imprisoned himself in naturally began to dissolve, but not without the earnest resolve to recover as well. 

When Sousuke first heard that Rin was back in town, the spark he’d lost was ignited again. If he couldn’t be Rin’s rival, at the very least, Sousuke wanted to be someone who could understand what it meant to swim alongside his best friend. As a team. It became one of his last whims before he would see Rin take the gold medal on screen.

The other selfish desire was was to protect Rin’s dream, which meant eliminating anyone who was in Rin’s way. Sousuke thought of the one person he had in mind. In resentment, and cold jealousy, he pushed the boy’s stale face out of his head, replacing it with the redhead’s. His hand had deserted his shoulder and found itself dangerously lower than he intended. It was a good thing he’d locked the door.

Sousuke paused, trying to search for reason - anything, no matter how small - but soon gave in to lust and frustration when he failed to seize one. There was no need to coax and tease himself when he had already become so large. All the blood in him rushed to his lower parts. His sparsely cream-smeared hand made the sensation feel raw and organic. The hand that carried the injured arm gripped the edge of his desk. He pumped himself stronger and faster until the image in his head changed into something viperous.

Rin was under him, his face distorted into emotions Sousuke couldn’t discern. One hand jailed his best friend’s hands above his head, the other supported his back as Sousuke forced himself into the other.

“Ah!”

His partner relished in pain and something else. With tears cornering Rin’s beautiful eyes, Sousuke leaned down to - he stopped. He abandoned what he coveted.

“I’m sorry.”

But  _this_ Rin didn’t want to accept the apology. Instead, the Rin struggled out of his restraints and braced Sousuke’s shoulders, his arms and gravity again enclosing the space between them. The boy underneath beaded sweats of pleasure as hips, legs, and skin rarely unmasked encountered each other. The ache in Sousuke’s injury grew - perhaps from the imaginary Rin’s force, or perhaps from his own.

Ghostly whispers of desire filled the room. Even so, the image was so wrong. His best friend didn’t belong in his chains.

Sousuke opened his eyes. He let the bright room blind him.The pleasure only lasted a few seconds before guilt and shame drowned him to his fingertips. He hung his head back.

**The second, would ruin Rin.**


	2. Three - Those Fatal Inches

Sousuke was someone who could take subtle command of a room without meaning to. It was the combination of his broad posture, his hooded but unclouded eyes, and his deep, unwavering words that gave him that sort of power.

And of course, he carried that bit of enigma that made people want to look at him. To study him.

Sometimes, it irritated Rin that he had to compete with his best friend for attention. It was especially annoying during practice, when Rin would have to give that extra effort so that Sousuke’s presence wouldn’t overpower his own. After all, he  _was_ the captain.  **But when it came down to it, Rin liked this silent sort-of rivalry between them.** There was something thrilling in having to be on guard - in having to have a battle to overcome before he got what he wanted. Rin leaned back on his chair, smirking at the thought, even when it was for just trivial things:

Like deciding the fate of the last piece of pie between them.

Rin nudged the plate with his fork towards Sousuke, teasing him. Though, both of them knew the contest had begun before the last piece had even been made.

Odd numbers were such pretty things.

Sousuke glanced down at the dessert sitting on the desk. Not many would be able to see it, but Rin had had enough practice to know the ignition in Sousuke’s eyes that he himself had proudly started.

“Want it?” Rin challenged.

Sousuke leaned forward, his arms on the desk, setting himself calculated fingers away from the prize. His face remained as placid as ever, as if he was responding to mundane conversation.  **That was another thing Rin liked about Sousuke - he didn’t need to shout a battle cry to genuinely play the game.**

“Actually,” Rin decided, “maybe I’ll take it, since I am a growing boy.”

“I’m still growing, too.” Sousuke retorted.

“You’re plenty big enough.”

A sly smile drew Sousuke’s lips. “What are you trying to imply?”

“Shut up.”

“You sure about this?” Sousuke asked. “I don’t want things getting ugly in the classroom.”

Rin leaned further back on his chair, letting out an easy, but dangerous laugh. “Let blood and veins canvas these walls.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that everyone else decided to eat in the cafeteria today.”

They both stood up from their chairs, getting into battle position.

“Rock . ..” Rin began.

“Paper …” Sousuke continued.

“Scissors …” they both said, in synch. “Shoot!” They cried.

“Damn it!”

This time it was Sousuke who laughed. “I had a feeling you’d choose paper today.”

“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

“No reason.” Sousuke picked up his fork, ready to dig into the pie, then thought twice about it, and set the utensil down. “Just a feeling.” He offered the pie to Rin. “Here, you have it.”

“What? No. You won it fair and square.”

There was a pause between them as Sousuke played with words in his mouth. Rin used it to sit himself back down.

“I want something else, instead.” Sousuke finally said, now playing with an upbeat tone. It didn’t suit him. It worried Rin.

Rin scratched the back of his head. Reluctantly, he asked ,“What is it?”

“Let me off prelims next week.”

His hand dropped. “Are you kidding me? Why?”

“I want to pull all my focus on the relay. I can’t have the thought of doing prelims drag me down. Besides, I’ve already been scouted, it’s not like I need the attention.” He tilted his head slightly towards Rin. “I know someone who does, though.”

Rin clicked his tongue. He hated that Sousuke made this about him.

“C’mon. If you were in my shoes, wouldn’t you do the same?”

He would. Because even if it meant giving up a competition, it would also mean having more opportunities to compete with his best friend in the future, if Sousuke was the one who needed to be scouted. But Rin wasn’t so sure this was the complete reason why Sousuke wanted to opt out of next week. In the first place, it wasn’t like Rin wasn’t participating in prelims at all. And, he didn’t want to sound too cocky in his own head, but he was sure he was good enough to be scouted by just showing off his freestyle. Then, there was still regionals. Rin sighed. Maybe it was true that Sousuke only wanted to focus on the relay.

“So?”

Rin grit his teeth and stabbed his fork into the pie. Maybe it could wash out the bitterness he tasted in his mouth. “Fine.”

It was dark outside by the time Rin got out of the shower and entered the dorm room. The lights were on, but Sousuke was already passed out on his bed.

As Rin changed into his boxers, his mind wandered back to what Sousuke had said during lunch. It still irritated him that sousuke said he needed the attention. Was he saying that Rin wasn’t good enough? He looked up at his best friend’s sleeping face.  _Are you challenging me Sousuke?_

A scoff slipped from his lips. He hung his towel in the closet, closed the lights, then, instead of getting under his sheets, he found his toes wrapped around the metal bars of the bunk bed. He was face to face with the boy who had suddenly become a man.

He really was an enigma. Rin figured it was the reason why his eyes were always drawn to him. Rather unwelcomely, sometimes.

“Goodnight, Sousuke.” The drained whisper hung in the air, as Rin dumbly waited for a reply.  **He liked hearing his best friend’s voice before he went to sleep.** Rin could see the low, steady breaths Sousuke stole and gave. The distance between them shaped a sort of ache in Rin. They could be this close, and yet, they felt so far from each other.

There was something fatal in those inches that now separated them. Then, for some reason, Rin had a feeling he was stuck fighting in a battle he wouldn’t be able to win. 


End file.
